Restoring Yemen’s South: A Right That Cannot Be Divided

For decades, discussions about Yemen’s future have treated the South as a bargaining chip—something to be adjusted, partitioned, or temporarily reconfigured to fit shifting political deals. This approach ignores a central truth: restoring the southern territories is not a tactical option or a transitional arrangement. It is a historical, sovereign right that is indivisible and non-negotiable. #TheSouthIsOne

The South is a single geographical and political unit, rooted in a shared history and a clearly defined territorial identity. Attempts to redraw its map—whether by isolating Hadhramaut or portraying Al-Mahrah as a special case—are not pragmatic solutions. They are deliberate efforts to fragment the South from within, weakening its collective claim and diluting its national project.

Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah have never existed outside the southern framework. Politically, geographically, and socially, they have always been integral to the southern state. Narratives that detach them from the South do not reflect reality; they distort history to serve external agendas that thrive on division and prolonged instability.

Equally flawed is the logic of “exceptions” and so-called buffer zones. Such ideas do not protect local populations—they perpetuate guardianship, external control, and endless postponement of genuine self-determination.

Above all, the call to restore the South is not the voice of a single faction or elite. It is a popular will, forged through years of sacrifice, protests, and broad social consensus. Any future that ignores this collective demand will remain unstable, incomplete, and unjust.